Beauty and the Beast
by Leana-Vine
Summary: Loki's been defeated, and all the Avengers decided to move into Stark Tower. It's been a year since they all moved in together, and in that time romance has flourished a bit in some unexpected places. Bruce/OC, Bruce/Natasha Maybe Thor/Jane and Tony/Pepper Going to rate T for language just in case. Image courtesy of the website blogomatic3000 . com. I own nothing except for my OC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I want this story to start on a good note. I know not everyone will always like what I write, and that's okay, but I ask that in your honesty, you also use generosity. I am just a 16 year old girl with a lot going on in her life right now, so I can stand criticism, but I will not stand for bullying. I made a fanfiction account because I've been writing for almost 6 years, and I just wanted to make sure it wasn't all a waste. So please, if my writing isn't good, tell me in a nice way how I can fix it, don't be mean. And if you like it and have time, please tell me. Not just on this story but any of them. Please, that's really all I'm asking. Thank you if you read this.

This has been newly edited. There shouldn't be any errors. If there are then damn, three days of nonstop work must've really got to my eyes. Please read, review, and enjoy.

Tears were jerking at her eyes. She hadn't cried in…she couldn't even remember how long it'd been. But now they were coming, whether she wanted them to or not, like an unexpected rain that would ruin a beach day. The man of her love interest was stomping away from her, and she didn't know what to do. Though she was good at pumping people for information and negotiating in stressed situations, something like this was too much. "Please, Bruce, don't just walk away like this," she pleaded.

Dr. Bruce Banner whipped around to face her, teeth grit and green already being to flush in his eyes. "I can't deal with you right now, Natasha! I just can't believe you- I can't believe any of this yet!" His fists were tight at his sides, knuckles already white and straining as he lightly shook.

Natasha Romanoff, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, had never been in a situation like this one, and she was at a loss of what to do. "Please Bruce, you are my best friend! I can't…_afford_ to lose you. I don't _want _to lose you. Don't do this Bruce, just calm down."

"Shut up!" he yelled, his voice already changing. He was about to give in to his other side. "You don't know what it's like to be like me! To have lost what I've lost! I thought maybe you understood… **You don't know anything!**" He hunched over, his glasses falling off his face and to the floor. He grabbed at his head as he went down to his knees.

Natasha backed away slowly in fright. In a small, strained voice, she choked out "Bruce…" and began to quake in real fear. Her mouth was agape and she was left terrified as she watched Bruce turn into a beast - his other side, the Hulk.

**~A Year Ago~**

Loki had been defeated 3 months hence. Immediately after his defeat all the Avengers moved into Stark Tower (much to Tony's protest at first.) In that time they'd become a bit closer after having to learn to live with each other. Steve and Tony had even become decent with each other. The whole thing had been Fury's idea. It seemed better to have them all together so that it'd be easier to assemble.

In that time some new friendships had been made. Thor and Clint had formed a friendship ever since one night when they had a poptart eating contest. Of course Thor won, and after that they became friendly because Clint was always challenging him to try and out-eat him in some sort of contest. Steve and Thor had even become a bit chummy, but maybe that was just because Thor got along with everyone. Or because they could both be confused by all of the new-age technology in Stark Tower together. Tony and Bruce were better friends than ever, but a very seemingly unlikely friendship that formed was the one between Natasha and Bruce.

They weren't even sure how it'd happened, but time had brought them together. Maybe it was Bruce always apologizing for Tony's latest prank on her, or maybe it was the nights that neither one of them could sleep and they'd share a drink and their thoughts. Bruce never drank alcohol, at least never around her. He'd have a cup of coffee, black, and Natasha would wonder why he would drink coffee in the middle of the night. He would also wonder why she was drink a shot of vodka when she couldn't sleep, but they never expressed these concerns to each other.

Ever since their first meeting in Calcutta, India, Natasha experienced an odd sense of compelling worry for Bruce. She always kept a watchful eye over him, making sure nothing around him could anger or upset him. This was mainly so that the Hulk wouldn't resurface, but it was also because she had strange feelings of connection with Bruce. She knew he'd experienced pain - they all had, but his was a very intense case, maybe the most intense other than Steve's. For reasons unknown, Natasha didn't want him to go through any more pain, even before they became friends.

Time passed and everyone living in Stark Tower had become closer. Steve and Tony had surpassed decency and moved on to being…not exactly friends but more than acquaintances, so maybe…_buddies_? Thor and Clint were rambunctious together, but Clint was more controlled around everyone else, just sarcastic and joking. Steve was still nervous around people and blushed at even the smallest things. Tony loved to exploit his virgin innocence and this would make Natasha jump to Steve's defenses and Bruce tell Tony that he was in the wrong. Natasha and Bruce had even become best friends.

Eating shawarma had was now an tradition that would be had every Sunday. Clint would always ask if they could eat something else, but Tony would never allow it; Steve would protest against Tony deciding to take charge, Tony would say something about how being the one housing them all sort of made him the leader, Bruce would warn them not to start, which they would anyway. Yep, tradition. After all the arguing they would all go out for shawarma anyway.

One day, 3 months after the Avengers moved in together and 12 months before Bruce's newest "personality change", they were having shawarma like any regular Sunday. This time, though, Tony had insulted Steve by calling him "a caveman incapable of leading the Avengers," and Steve was refusing to talk to him, so Tony was pestering him in an attempt to get him to say anything. Other than Tony making little annoying noises as he poked and prodded Steve, they were all fairly quiet. That is, until an unknown woman came over. And what was weird, most people would think that if an unknown woman walks up to the table, she's most likely to ask Tony Stark for an autograph, or maybe say something that embarrasses Steve, or even tell Clint or Thor how hot they are, but this woman walked right up to Bruce.

"Dr. Banner?" She looked maybe 20, and though, by appearances, she seemed like the type that would be an outgoing, hot, partying college girl, she had a quiet, nervous voice.

He turned in his seat to look at her - and at her face, not her wonderful body like Tony and Clint. When he saw that he didn't recognize her, he cocked an eyebrow. "Hi. Can I help you?" he asked.

She smiled a model-like smile him and said, "Umm, maybe you can. See, I love all your books and studies about nuclear physics and your work 'Predicting the spontaneous formation of Gamma Particles in a vacuum', and I was wondering if it would be possible for you to come and speak in my Physics class." Everyone at the table simply blinked at the girl, including Bruce.

He studied her with his eyes then chuckled once. "Well, uh, I suppose maybe I could. You're a student where exactly?"

"Berkeley on 3 East 43rd Street. So could you? Please?" she asked, a bit pleading.

Bruce thought about it for a second, considering the lovely student's offer. Then he gave her a small smile and a nod. "Sure, why not. When?"

The student bounced a bit with happiness then giggled. "Oh umm, how about Wednesday? Is that okay?"

Bruce nodded. "Sure. Umm, what time?"

"Well my class is at 12. Do you think I could have your card or something?" she asked.

Tony choked back a laugh for some reason when he saw Bruce's expression. "You want my number?"

She nodded at first, then quickly shook her head, making a confusing scene. "No, just your card, so I can write down my number for you. See, I don't memorize the numbers for any of the classrooms, so I can't tell you which classroom it is now, so you could call me and I'll tell you which room it is when you get there. Or we could meet up or something and I'll take you there."

Bruce nodded, believing what she was saying. "Oh, yeah sure." He reached in his back pocket, pulling out a card for her, then he reached in a pocket inside his jacket and handed her a pen. After she wrote her number on the card and handed it back to him, he smiled a bit at her. "Thanks. Oh, uh, you didn't tell me your name."

The student laughed nervously, putting a hand on her mouth. "Sorry, Dr. Banner." She held out her hand to shake. "I'm Tracy, Tracy Buffay. I probably should've introduced myself sooner." When Bruce released her hand and gave her a smile, she blushed just ever so slightly and pink, then looked at everyone else at the table. "I am so sorry for interrupting your lunch, by the way," she looked back at him, "it's just not every day I see one of my idols." With a smile and a wave she was speed walking away.

When Tracy was out of view, Tony leaned across the table and gave Bruce a little chummy slap on the arm. "Man, that was crazy! Women _never _come over to talk to you. Especially woman like _that_."

Bruce smiled at him and sarcastically said, "Thanks."

Clint shook his head. "No, no I agree with Tony. You're so damn shy that you probably didn't even see how into you that girl was. It was insane. She even called you her idol. That's like college girl talk for 'during Physics I always imagine the teacher as you and you ask to see me _after class_.'" Clint paused then added, "That means she fantasizes about you, man."

Steve blushed a bit and Thor laughed as Bruce nodded. "Could've been more subtle, Clint."

During everything, Natasha was just quiet, a bite of shawarma still in her mouth. She swallowed hardly as all the men buzzed around her about the beautiful college student. And for some reason, she was growing more intensely frustrated, and she didn't even know why.

Later that night, after Natasha woke up in a cold sweat from another one of her nightmares, she got up out of bed and ventured to the kitchen, wondering if Bruce would be there. A small smile came to her face when she saw Bruce at the kitchen table, papers laid out and a black coffee on the table by him. "Hi Bruce."

Bruce looked up at her, sliding off his glasses. He half smiled for a second then it faded. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

She shook her head, sitting down next to him, resting her head on her propped up hand. "I only wish. These damned nightmares keep hitting me harder each time." She looked at the papers on the table. "What are you doing up with all these papers?"

He cleared his throat then picked up one of the papers, studying it. "Well, if I'm going to have to speak in Tracy's Physics class, I feel like I should think of what exactly I should talk about."

Natasha nodded and looked away from him. Why did the thought of that college girl make her so angry? "Want it to be perfect, huh?" Bruce looked away from the paper back to her and laid down the paper on the table. "What?"

She twiddled her thumbs a bit on the table. "That girl, she was really pretty, you know? I bet you want to be perfect for her class; apparently all the guys think so too."

He made a bit of a confused chuckle. "What are you talking about?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm just tired. I…hope that you do well on your lecture or whatever it is you're going to do for that girl."

He chuckled a bit. "Natasha, what are you doing? You're acting like all the other guys. What do you think? That I want some sex from this girl or something?"

She put a hand on his arm. "I never said that, Bruce. I don't think that's what you want. …I think that maybe you think she's pretty."

Bruce smiled down at the table, and Natasha knew that she was right. "She isn't ugly, I can't deny," Bruce admitted. "That's not why I accepted her offer. I remember being an ambitious student like her. All I wanted was to further my learning. If I can share any of my knowledge with some students, I'd love it."

Natasha smiled at him. "That's because you're great, Bruce. Those kids are going to go crazy to hear you speak. I mean that Tracy girl looked at you with a lot of admiration, it was crazy."

Bruce smiled down at the table. "Yeah, that was pretty unexpected. Everyone else seemed to think that it was weird for a girl like that to even be looking at me. Then she turned out to be smart too…"

Natasha looked away from him and scrunched a bit of her hair in her left hand. "Well, I think they were all being really ridiculous. Why wouldn't a beautiful girl like that look at you?" She turned her eyes to meet his before looking away again.

Bruce studied her, a bit of a half smile starting to crack on his lips. "Well, uh…thanks Natasha."

She rubbed her forehead. "I'm going back to bed. Don't stay up too late, okay?" With that she was walking back to her room, feeling a little confused and dead inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks to you guys from your nice reviews they mean the world to me. This has been newly edited. There shouldn't be any errors. If there are then damn, three days of nonstop work must've really got to my eyes. Please read, review, and enjoy.

Natasha woke up in her bed the next morning and stretched her arms above her head. She suddenly got a cold chill from being exposed to the cold morning air and hid her bare arms back under her blanket. She laid there for a second, staring up at the ceiling, and she thought about Bruce. _'I can't believe I was such an idiot last night. What the hell was up with me?'_ she wondered. She climbed out of bed, shivering again. _'Damn, why do I wear these stupid nightgowns?'_

After she dressed into a black shirt and black pants, she cursed her hair in the mirror, trying to brush it out. The night of cold sweat and tossing around had made her hair a bit fluffed. It stressed her out and finally she gave up with a groan and headed out of her room. Down the hall and to the kitchenette she walked, still messing with her hair a bit. As she entered the kitchenette, she saw Bruce at the table with his head down. She walked over, wondering if he was sad or stressed from the work, but with closer examination, she smiled. The man had fallen asleep.

Natasha looked into the living room and took a throw off one of the couches and walked it back over to Bruce. She draped it over him, and when she pulled it up to his neck, her fingers touched his skin. It was cold, but not freezing. The rest of his skin under his clothing was fairly warm, but this exposed spot on the back of his neck was cold. It made her sad almost.

She quietly sat down next to him and watched him. Bruce's arms were folded on the table, his head laid down on his arms, face partially buried into his bicep. His eyes were as easy as his breathing, back moving slowly up and down, up and down… Natasha just stared, no smile but no frown, just nothing on her face. With some slight hesitation, she slowly reached forward to take the glasses off his face. Her hand stopped just before her finger could touch the rim and she took in a quiet breath.

As she touched her finger lightly to the rim, curling her fingertip ever so slightly over the lens to slip them off, Bruce's hand reached up and grasped her wrist. His grip wasn't tight, but it startled Natasha enough to make her flinch. Bruce's eyes remained closed yet. Was this just a reflex he had, something he did in his sleep? Natasha swallowed and her fingers twitched as she tried to pull her hand away.

Bruce sighed and his eyes lightly fluttered open. "…Natasha?" he asked in a sleepy tone.

Her eyes shifted from his hand around her wrist to his eyes, then back to their hands. "Morning, Bruce," she said in a voice that was - dare say - _sheepish_?

Bruce sat up, still holding her wrist, just not as tight as before. She didn't pull away. "What are you doing?" he asked, rubbing his eyes under his glasses with his index finger and thumb. Before Natasha could explain anything, Bruce's eyes looked back when he saw some gray out of the corner of his eyes. In the periphery of his vision, he saw the blanket on his shoulders, and then his eyes went back to Natasha, who swallowed again. "You put a blanket on me?"

She half smiled and nodded. "Umm, you fell asleep at the table. You were cold; it's cold in here." Her eyes went down to the table, eyes tracing over natural designs in the tabletop.

Bruce let go of her wrist then sighed out a small chuckle, half smiling. "Sorry, I didn't mean to grab you, it's just…well since I was a kid, I learned to keep up my defenses while I sleep. I didn't even realize I grabbed you."

She shook her head, putting both her hands in her lap. "It's okay. I was starting to worry that I might've startled you and that you were going to…well _change_. Today I don't feel like having my wrist snapped."

Bruce laughed once, looking down at his hands folded on the table. "You know better, I've been controlled for three months now. No accidents."

Natasha nodded, her voice a bit frailer from fatigue. "I know, and I'm proud of you, Bruce. You've been doing so well."

Bruce's smile faded into a curiosity of why Natasha suddenly sounded so weak. She'd been different lately, a bit distant and unsupported, like she had no self esteem. She wasn't as bold as she'd been before. "Natasha…" He looked from her eyes to the table, then back up at her face. "Are you okay? Lately you seem…different."

Her mouth twitched into a half smile, then she shook it away. "I'm fine, Bruce. I just worry about you, that's all." She looked down at the table. "I…" She closed her eyes tight and bit her lip, then continued, opening her eyes again. "I don't know everything that you've gone through, but when you go through your 'change,' its like…I can almost feel…a portion of what you're feeling." She looked up at him, searching his eyes. "It's always in your eyes."

Bruce looked back into her eyes for a second, wondering exactly how much this woman could see in him, how much she knew. He'd known her for a while now, and even though they were best friends, he still felt like he hardly knew anything about her. As he stared into her gaze, he started to lose himself in thought, so he quickly looked away, clearing his throat. "Well, I just hope I don't show off too much when the big guy drops in for a visit." He made a small smile, and it wasn't apparent if he was being sarcastic or not. Sometimes the way he talked about the Hulk made it sound like he took his transformations as a joke, but Natasha knew better than anyone that the Hulk was definitely _not _a joke to Bruce. Maybe he was to Tony, but he could never be to Bruce.

Or Natasha.

She stood, running a hand through her bangs. "Do you want breakfast or anything? I could attempt to make pancakes." She opened the refrigerator, looking in for things she could form into breakfast.

Bruce watched her. "Are you sure you don't want me to cook? I don't mind." He didn't want to say, 'Because you always burn something when you cook and Tony's going to be really pissed if the fire alarms wake him up.'

Natasha shook her head, pulling out things to make pancakes. "No, no, _I_ am going to make breakfast. For once, I plan on not burning _anything_. No more black pancakes." She smiled back at him as she pulled a bowl out of a bottom cabinet along with a skillet. "If I burn anything, you and Tony can both yell at me, and only _then _will I let you take over and make breakfast."

Bruce nodded to her, returning her smile. "Okay, if you say so, Natasha."

Only five minutes later, Natasha had her head in her hands and Bruce was in front of the stove, picking up the panhandle and trying his best to wave away the smoke that was billowing off of the dark pancake in the pan. He hurried to a balcony and opened the door, fanning the smoke away from the house. One trip of the alarm, and they'd be doomed to deal with a very grumpy Tony.

"God, I'm an idiot," Natasha murmured. "Why do I always burn everything? It's like I ruin everything that I touch…"

Bruce walked back over to her with a warm smile, pan still in his hand. "You know that's not true, Natasha. This one looks better than the others, I swear. You didn't set off the alarms this time and you avoided waking up Tony. And look," he showed her the pancake in the pan, almost completely black except for it's dark brown ridges, "this one doesn't look that bad." He flipped it over, and the first side looked just barely overcooked. "And this side actually looks pretty incredible compared to your track record…n-no offense or anything."

Natasha smiled, letting out a small laugh. "Bruce…that's sweet but you don't have to doll it up. I ruined another pancake. I'm a bad cook, you can say it."

Bruce shook his head. "No, no, this pancake, m'dear, is _definitely _not ruined." He picked it up in his hand, flopping it around to look at it. "I will prove it to you." He hesitated then took a huge bite out of the pancake. There was a small crunching noise, and it was enough to make Natasha wince.

As he chewed, looking like he was trying to hide how miserable he was, she shook her head and tried to take it from him. "No, Bruce, you're going to poison yourself. Give it to me." He shook his head, holding it out of her reach, trying to mumble something past his full cheeks. Right now it seemed like he was pushing the pancake into his cheeks just so it wouldn't touch his tongue, but doing this would make him unable to swallow. What to do, what to do?

Natasha smiled then laughed a bit before using her super-agent skills to duck around him and snatch away the pancake, leaving just a small piece in his hand.

Bruce looked at the tidbit of pancake he held then swallowed hard, putting the last piece in his mouth. He swallowed down this piece quickly before it could swell in his mouth, but nearly choked. "See?" he coughed. "Good."

She shook her head at him and smiled. "Okay, okay, _thank you Bruce_. Now, don't ever do that again." She poked him in the chest. "I would hate to be the one responsible for giving you food poisoning or whatever."

He nodded to her. "Okay, deal." Bruce sounded maybe _too _happy to be agreeing to not eat any more of Natasha's burnt food. "Let me try now, okay?" He walked back with the skillet over to the stove to use some leftover batter to attempt to make breakfast.

As Natasha pulled up a chair and sat down, she noticed Tony's heavy, sleepy footsteps coming down the dark hall. He came into view wearing a navy blue t-shirt and these classic striped light blue pajama bottoms and sighed in a breath. "Hey Bruce-y, mind making me one? …Or five?"

Bruce laughed a bit. "Sure Tony. How'd you sleep?"

Tony sat down next to Natasha and looked at her as he responded, "Kept having these _dreams_ that made me want to wake up and never wake up at the same time."

Natasha uncomfortably shifted in her chair then said, "I'm pretty sure that's not possible, Tony."

He smirked a bit, putting his chin on his fist. "You know what's not possible for a Stark? Nothing. You want to know something really impossible for _you_? That hair of yours to be any fluffier."

Natasha's eyes widened a bit as she reached up and put a hand in her hair. "Is it really that bad?…"

Tony laughed. "I'm just kidding you, beautiful. I just _really _need some coffee." He looked down the hall. "Where the hell is Cap anyway? He usually wakes up so early and makes coffee."

Bruce's smile faded where he stood making breakfast. "He had another night terror last night," he said in a small, sad voice.

Tony fell silent. "Oh…" He looked down at the table then stood. "I guess I should go check on him then." He retreated down the hallway.

Natasha watched after him and once he was in Steve's room, she looked back to Bruce who had acquired a small stack of pancakes now. With just a small smile, she said, "It's sort of great how nice Tony can be to Steve these days, isn't it? I mean, they were so childish towards one another in the beginning of the Avengers Initiative, but I think fighting Loki together and moving in together really made them good friends."

Bruce smiled a bit, looking down into the skillet. "Yeah, in a sick, sort of twisted way, these night terrors bring them closer each time. I think Tony really does care about Steve." He set a plate to the side with five pancakes like Tony had asked for. Bruce's pancakes were always so small that it was only natural to ask for so many. "How many pancakes do you want, Natasha?"

Natasha shook her head. "No, none for me. I'll just have some hot tea. I'm not actually hungry."

Bruce smiled back at her, cocking an eyebrow. "But you were going to make _me _pancakes?" He laughed a bit, looking back in the skillet. "That's nice of you."

Tony and Steve walked up through the hallway with Clint not far behind them. Steve looked fairly okay other than the dark bags under his eyes, the poor thing. His hair somehow looked almost perfect, unlike Clint's hair which was all over the place.

"Please tell me that someone is going to make coffee…" Clint groaned out.

Natasha looked at them, no smile anymore. "Well I can make it if Steve doesn't feel like it."

Steve shook his head. "No, it's okay, Natasha, I don't mind it." He walked from Tony's side over to the coffee maker. Though he hated technology and he hated the sounds the coffee maker made, he was the best of all of them at making coffee.

Natasha looked around them. "Where's Thor?"

At the sound of his name, Thor emerged from his room. "I would like poptarts…" he told them sleepily. "Would one of you please prepare them for me?"

Tony held up a hand, calling the case. "Gotcha there, big guy, just hang on." He walked over by Bruce and reached into the cabinet, pulling out a box of cherry poptarts. He looked at the pancakes on the counter, nagging Bruce again for them being small. Clint complained, saying he didn't care what they looked like, that he just wanted food, and now. Steve was trying to tell them not to fight so early in the morning, and Thor kept bellowing about how his poptarts weren't going to cook themselves.

At that point, Natasha intercepted the poptarts and put them in the toaster so that Tony and Steve could start a mild argument like usual. And as Natasha waited by the toaster, she looked around at all of them, all of these men that, at first, she'd been _forced _to live with, but now couldn't imagine starting her days without. Though none of them noticed, she let out a small smile at them all before turning back to the toaster.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Little bit of romance in this chapter, but from where? Oooooh dramatic haha. This has been newly edited. There shouldn't be any errors. If there are then damn, three days of nonstop work must've really got to my eyes. Please read, review, and enjoy.

Wednesday came too soon, at least to Natasha. Bruce had spent all Sunday night and Monday morning planning what he would talk about for Tracy's class, and Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning he was practicing his lecture in his room. Tony and Clint would joke with him that his lecture wasn't what needed to be perfect - that Tracy was more than likely going to be interested in more…well, _interesting _things. Bruce played dumb like there was no way any woman anywhere would ever want him for anything other than to hear his lecture. Natasha knew better, but she wasn't happy.

Natasha had forced him to sleep Tuesday night instead of worrying about his lecture, telling him that he wouldn't be able to _give _the lecture if he passed out on the floor.

Bruce had smiled at her and nodded tiredly. "I guess you're right. Thanks Natasha." He sounded weak and drained. Damn that Tracy for doing this to him.

Natasha stayed the night outside Bruce's room, laying in the hallway. She wanted to be absolutely certain that he didn't leave his room to look over his notes in the kitchen or pace his room all night going over what he'd say. In her dreams, she wondered why this was something so important to Bruce. Was an hour of talking to 200 people really worth days of stress and insomnia?

Wednesday morning came, and Bruce woke up at exactly 7:30. He had prepared his mental alarm so that there was no possibility he'd sleep in. Bruce kicked away his covers and stood on the cold floor. He hugged himself in an attempt to cover his bare arms. _'Damn, why does Tony keep it so cold? No wonder Steve has night terrors.'_ Bruce walked over to his closet and pulled on a t-shirt so he wouldn't be bare skinned. He checked his suit where it hung just to make sure that it hadn't fallen down. He needed everything to be perfect for today.

When Bruce opened his door, there was Natasha, curled up and shivering lightly. He looked down at her wide eyed, wondering why she was there. Then it struck him that she must've stayed there to guarantee his sleep. "Oh, Natasha…" he whispered to himself. He kneeled down and picked her up in his arms. She was so _light_, and she was so cold. Bruce frowned down at her. _'You didn't have to sleep on the floor, you know.'_

Bruce carried Natasha into her room, and she didn't begin to stir until he gently laid her down on her bed. She mumbled, "Mmm, Bruce, go back to sleep…"

He smiled down at her and pulled up her blankets to her shoulders. "It's morning. Now it's your turn to sleep," he whispered to her.

Natasha was so tired that she couldn't open her eyes. She snuggled into the blankets and turned to him, touching his hand that was still on her shoulder. "Thanks…" she murmured. Her hand slowly came off his hand and hid itself back under the blankets from the cold air.

Bruce smiled at her and chuckled a bit before leaving her room. He went to the kitchen and made his own coffee, looking over his notes again. He felt a bit silly for wanting everything to be perfect, but he himself knew that it was because he hadn't got to share his knowledge with people in so long; it wasn't all for Tracy. To him, Tony and the other guys were insane to think that he would go to all this trouble just for a girl.

He tapped his pen to his jaw as he wondered, _'So what does Natasha think about all of this?… The guys all seem to think I just want to get laid, but is that what she thinks?'_ He looked down at the papers in his hands and sighed.

His thoughts were interrupted when Steve walked into the kitchenette, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "Oh, hi Bruce," he yawned out. "You're up early." He stopped and looked at Bruce suspiciously. "Or are you up still?"

Bruce shook his head, put down his papers and looked up at Steve. "No, just up early. Natasha made me sleep last night. I just wanted to make sure everything's in order for Tracy's class today. I have to be there before 12."

Steve nodded, sitting next to Bruce. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, glancing from Bruce back to the table. He finally turned to Bruce and asked, "Do you like Tracy?"

Bruce looked away from his work again and looked at Steve. "What? Oh come on, Steve, don't tell me you're going to start being like the other guys too. I thought you were the only man in this house that wasn't saying those things about Tracy."

Steve shrugged. "It's just a question. I mean, I'm not asking if you want to _fondue _with her. She's pretty, I'm just wondering if you agree."

Bruce looked down at the table. He sighed. "I guess I just don't look at people like that anymore. I don't look at if they're beautiful or ugly, because I know what those things both look like. I could sit here and tell you exactly what ugly looks like…" He looked up to meet Steve's eyes. Steve swallowed when he saw how hardened Bruce's gaze was. "What's the point in me looking at other people for ugliness or beauty? No one can be uglier than my ugliest side, so in a way everyone is beautiful compared to that."

Steve just stared at him, this man that had such humility and was able to remain so controlled through everything. If anything, this was enough to make _him _more beautiful than any other person. Bruce in himself was truly his own story of beauty and beast. But instead of saying any of this, he just nodded and stood. "I'll make breakfast."

Bruce watched him for a bit then sighed, looking down at his papers again. It was quiet, even when Tony walked in. He looked at Steve cooking, and then at Bruce sitting quietly. He looked back behind him to the rooms, wondering where Natasha was because she was usually up before him. There was a tension in the air, so Tony rejected the urge to call Steve 'sexy in an apron' or 'a good little house husband.' Instead he sat down and waited for breakfast.

When Clint and Thor came in, they were also quiet, not saying anything. The only words said after a while was the quiet question from Thor if Clint could make him poptarts. Clint nodded then went to the task. Bruce started to feel guilty about everyone being quiet, so he gathered his papers and stood from the table. "I'm gonna go," he told them all. And with that, he was gone.

As soon as he left, the air felt breathable again. "What the hell _was _that?" Clint asked, confused about why everyone had been feeling the urge to be quiet.

Steve shook his head at them, putting out plates of eggs in front of them all. "Bruce isn't having a good morning, I think. He'll be better after he gives his lecture, probably."

Tony stretched his arms above his head. "Well, whatever his deal is, he better get over it. I don't like not being able to make my early morning jokes."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I could live without them." He slid a plate of eggs in front of Tony, who grimaced at them.

Clint looked up with a full mouth of eggs, his plate almost clean. He'd been starving. "So, where's Nat? I haven't seen her. Usually she's up before anyone- well except for Steve."

Steve shrugged again. "I don't know that either."

Thor held up his plate for more eggs, having already polished them off as he waited for his pop tarts, and as Steve took it, Thor thought aloud, "Do any of you think that it could be possible that something has happened between the green man and the widow of black?"

Tony groaned. "Thor, sweetie, you don't have to talk like that." Then he grimaced, poking the eggs on his plate. "Maybe they had it out about that Tracy girl or something. I mean, they're best friends and all, but it kinda seems like they have a _thing_. Or something…"

As Steve slid Thor his plate of eggs, he looked at Tony. "You mean…do you think they…_fondue_?"

Clint laughed a bit and Tony rolled his eyes, pushing away his eggs. "You still call it that? But that's not what I meant. I mean, I think they have crushes on each other. Have you seen how they are together? I've only ever seen Natasha smile around Bruce."

Clint nodded with him. "I agree. I've known Natasha forever, and Bruce does seem to make her happy. So you really think she has a crush on Bruce?"

Steve sat down with them. "Do you think that Bruce likes Natasha too?" He smiled. "What if they were to date?"

Tony scrunched his face a bit. "Uh, I don't see that happening. I don't know, they make each other happy, but I just don't see those two dating."

Thor looked at Tony confused, mouth full of eggs that he'd stolen from Tony's plate. "Why? Would it be an issue if they were to engage in loving activities?"

Clint nudged Steve. "Like _fondue_~" Steve hunkered down a bit, now blushing because he was embarrassed. He didn't like talking about these things.

Tony shrugged. "I just don't see it happening."

By the end of his lecture, Bruce was feeling great. Some of the students clapped, but none of them seemed to be in a hurry to leave, and he was happy about that. He smiled at them all and thanked them for their time before walking back to the desk at the center of the room. He gathered his papers and straightened them into neat stacks before opening his suitcase to put them inside.

Tracy walked up to him with a smile. "That was a great lecture, Dr. Banner." She held her hands behind her back twisting her hips a bit to keep moving. She was full of excitement. And…she looked more dressed for a college party rather than class.

Bruce looked at her and half smiled a bit. "Oh, well thank you, Tracy. I wouldn't have gotten to be here if you hadn't asked me. It was actually fun for me."

Tracy smiled, tracing her fingers on the desk. "Yeah, it's been great having you here. You act like you've been giving lectures for years."

He shook his head, chuckling a bit. "I haven't spoken like that in front of people in a really long time. I was completely nervous to be honest. I even planned what I would say since Sunday."

Tracy laughed a bit. "Really? I never would've guessed. You're just so great, I guess. Even when you're nervous you're amazing." She smiled that model's smile at him, starting to work her charms.

Bruce laughed a bit nervously, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I'm nothing special, really. I'm just a workaholic scientist that is…not good at talking to girls…"

Tracy giggled with a hand on her mouth. "Well, Dr. Banner, I can only wonder why. I mean…well, you _are_ very attractive," she said, running her fingers on the desk again. Bruce swallowed, closing his suitcase and locking it shut. "You know um…when you asked me Sunday if I wanted your number…well, if you're still willing to give it to me, I'd like to take it." Her voice was a bit hushed in a seductive way.

Bruce's head was swimming. "Uh, well I wasn't really offering my number before…"

Tracy looked disappointed. "You mean I can't have it? You're not interested in me?"

Bruce sighed. "No it's-it's not that, it's just that I haven't…dated anyone in _so _long and I just feel like, well you're a young, attractive college girl and you probably shouldn't be wasting your time with an un-romantic older man."

Tracy stepped closer to him and grabbed his tie. "I think you're sexy…" She pulled on his tie, kissing him on the mouth. She moaned a bit, pulling him down to her level. Bruce's eyes widened and he blushed. Though it was awkward for him, he couldn't push her away. She pulled her lips from his and whispered, "Kiss me…" Tracy waited there for his mouth, and Bruce felt really flustered. Part of him wanted to be somewhere else, but the rest of him felt flattered and that maybe he was lucky to be having this moment.

He finally decided in these few seconds that he didn't want to risk losing a moment like this, and he kissed Tracy. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and ran her fingers through his hair, tugging at it as she wanted him to touch her. Bruce didn't want to lose it, not now, so he could only move slowly. He put his hands on her hips, and that was enough to get more passion out of her. When they pulled away from each other, he was staring at her wide eyed, thinking about how myopic he was. "…Woah."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Okay! Chapter four! Lots of feelings in this chapter. Maybe a few secrets unveiled? Who knows, you have to read! Thanks to everyone for your fabulous reviews, you light up my heart like Tony Stark.

This has been newly edited. There shouldn't be any errors. If there are then damn, three days of nonstop work must've really got to my eyes. Please read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

When Natasha woke up in her own bed, she gasped in surprise. She remembered falling asleep outside Bruce's door, but had she gone back to bed? No, she had vague memories of someone carrying her to bed. Oh God, did they see her hair? Well of course. But was it a mess?

Natasha got up from bed and stumbled a bit in the sheets that were twisted around her ankles. She freed herself then made her way to the mirror above her dresser. Her hair was just as fluffy as it usually was in the mornings. _'Damn…' _she thought, annoyed. As she patted it in a futile attempt to make it stay down, she wondered if it only became fluffy when she got in bed. She was just happy that there wasn't dust in her hair.

After brushing her hair as much as she could, the mess was about halfway under control. Natasha dressed then headed out of her room. The place looked almost completely empty. "Guys?" she called out. Where was everyone? She looked at the clock on the wall and it was 11:47. She never slept in that late.

She groaned and rubbed her face, then she remembered that Bruce's lecture was at 12. _'Is there time to call him and wish him luck?' _she wondered. She went back to her room and grabbed her phone off her dresser and pulled up his number. But before she dialed out, she stopped herself and put her phone aside. "No, what am I doing? _Wish him luck_? What the hell?…" She plopped down on the floor, angry at herself.

Lately Natasha had found herself caring too much about Bruce. She hated to leave him alone because she didn't want anything to be around him to upset him. Not only that, but she actually really liked being around Bruce. She only ever smiled when she was around him. Who could blame her for picking him as a favorite? Tony was always doing his stupid pranks; Clint - as much as she loved that guy - was just too sarcastic these days; Thor was too loud; Steve was too quiet. Bruce was just a perfect balance of everything. So why did it feel to her like these feelings of valuing his friendship weren't enough?

Natasha ran herself a hot bath as a way to try and sooth herself. In the background, her iPod dock played a song from Phantom of the Opera. She wasn't in the mood for anything heavy or loud, and this song was perfect. _~Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind in this darkness that you know you cannot fight: the darkness of the Music of the Night.~ _Natasha sighed, slipping farther into the bath. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

_~Let your mind start to journey to a strange new world, leave all thoughts of the life you knew before.~ _Sleep, or maybe unconsciousness was coming to claim her. _~Let your soul take you where you long to be!~ _She was completely relaxed, not asleep but almost there. Thoughts of Bruce were coming to her strangely. _~…Only then…can you belong…to me.~_

* * *

_Natasha was sleeping on the floor outside Bruce's door. Morning started to come, but in the dark hallways no one could tell. She laid uncomfortably curled up on the hard floor; she'd slept in more uncomfortable places before, though. As she lay there sleeping, Bruce's door came open and she curled in tighter at the newer, colder air that spilled out of his room._

_In her reverie, she heard him say from above, "Oh, Natasha…" And then she felt his hands wrapping around her, but fatigue still pulled at her eyes and refused to let her vision pass the darkness. Her body felt limp against him as she had no energy to fight gravity. She could feel him walking and she heard a door close, but the smell in this room, it was different from her own._

_Her eyelids furiously fought to open. "Bruce…" she managed a mumble._

_She felt him laying her on a bed as she heard him gently shushing her. "Just sleep," he told her in a soft voice._

_Natasha weakly shook her head and tried again to open her eyes. "No…I don't want to sleep any longer…" She found strength in her head and finally pulled her eyes open against the tiredness. This wasn't her room._

_Bruce smiled down at her, then asked, "Why'd you sleep outside my door, Nat?" He didn't usually call her Nat. He accidentally called her Natalie once and after that he decided to never give her nicknames. (Clint calling her Nat had confused him.)_

_Natasha sat up with a hand on her head. She looked around and noticed that this was Bruce's room. Then she looked at Bruce who was on his knees next to the bed so he'd be at her level. She stuffed her hands in her lap and stared no where in-particular. "Well, I wanted to make sure that you slept…"_

_Bruce chuckled a bit with a smile. "You didn't have to sleep on the floor though." He reached out and touched her hair, and suddenly Natasha's skin was crawling a bit. But it wasn't an uncomfortable crawling. She looked at him with a shuddering breath. He had no smile on face. He looked too serious. "You could've slept in here…" he said, voice low._

_Natasha shivered again; she knew she was dreaming. Then it came to her: if she's dreaming, why not make the most of it? She turned to Bruce, and though she didn't understand herself or where these feelings were coming from, she smiled at him as he ran his fingers in her hair. "You mean that?" she asked._

_He nodded with a smile now. "Of course. What did you think? That you were just a friend to me like all the guys?"_

_Natasha's breath shuddered again but she still smiled. He whispered her name and leaned closer to her. Her breath caught in her throat and she just stared at his face. He was so close, closer than any man had been to her in a long time… Well really since Clint if that's any measure of how long it'd been. Bruce whispered her name again then gently pulled her head back, his fingers how entwined in her hair. As he put his mouth on hers, she heard her name again, but it sounded different this time. She felt like she couldn't breathe._

"_Damn it Natasha wake up!"_

* * *

Natasha's eyes snapped open and she gasped in a breath. Then she screamed when she saw Clint over her. She quickly covered herself. Clint was _in _the tub, standing over her, lowered down to look at her face. "Thank God- Natasha what the hell? Do you want to drown yourself or something?" Clint yelled worriedly.

Natasha was still just shocked that he was here. "Wha-what are you doing in here?" she asked, eyes wide and cheeks starting to burn red with embarrassment.

Clint rolled his eyes. "I've seen you naked, Nat, don't get all upset." He stepped out of the tub, feet and pants wet almost up to his knees. He handed her a towel, which she quickly took. "What are you doing falling asleep in the tub is a better question," Clint said. "I haven't even seen you yet today; I thought maybe you were dead or something."

She stood from the tub, wrapping herself in the towel. "You mean my head was underwater?" she asked, shocked.

He laughed angrily and nodded. "Yeah! You almost drowned there, agent. Where's your sharp vigilance?"

She glared. "I was tired, okay? I slept in the hallway last night and it was fucking freezing, so just shut up. And get out of my bathroom."

Clint glared at the wall and turned to leave, but then clenched his fists at his sides and turned back to her. "You know, Bruce isn't worth that."

She looked at him with a mix of emotions something like anger, confusion and shock. "What did you say?"

He glared, stepping closer to her. "I don't know why he gives you the butterflies, but he won't ever be able to make you happy. If you've forgotten, you'll never be able to have a real relationship with him. He'd Hulk out on you any time you tried to touch him." He looked at the wall then at her again, and now spoke lower. "I could make you happy. You didn't even give me a chance before, Natasha. If you're looking for love you know that I've always been right here."

Natasha searched his eyes to try and read the situation, then she looked down, shaking her head. "Please get out, Clint."

Clint just looked at her for a few more seconds then shook his head, laughing angrily again before leaving. And there Natasha stood, just wrapped in a towel and shivering.

* * *

When Bruce came home, it was like everyone in the house suddenly sensed it and came running to the kitchenette. That was sort of their place for pow-wows, so it was just customary that they'd go there. Bruce sighed, pulling off his tie and setting down his suitcase. The others poured in, Natasha the slowest of them all.

Tony smiled at Bruce and slapped his shoulder. "How'd it go man?"

Bruce looked around at them all then walked to the coffee maker and started to make his coffee. "Well the lecture went good, the students were great. They were all great listeners and they had great questions; it was just great."

Tony cocked an eyebrow. "You said 'great' way too many times, man. What's really up?"

"Did something happen?" Steve asked. They were all standing around the table, facing Bruce like a counsel.

Bruce sighed through his nose as the coffee maker started to work. He turned back to them and leaned against the counter. "Well uh…Tracy thanked me after class for the lecture."

Clint smiled widely. "Alright man, how did that go?"

Thor looked at Clint confused. "Does it mean something more to Midgardians when one receives thanks? Is it a declaration of something more?"

Tony waved a hand at Thor. "Hush, hush Shakespeare. Anyway, Bruce my boy, what happened?" His grin reached his jawbones almost.

Bruce looked down at the floor and sighed. When he looked up again, he was looking at Natasha as he said, "She sort of…kissed me."

Natasha's pupils shrank and she felt a great pain in her chest. She looked away from him to somewhere else. The other men were buzzing around Bruce wanting to know everything, but in her mind she was saying, _'No more, please no more.' _It was too painful. She'd only just learned that she had feelings for Bruce, but now something like this was happening?

Bruce half smiled at them. "Yeah, I don't know how I feel about it, but she took my card and said she wants to go out sometime."

Tony laughed. "No freaking way! She asked _you _out? That's hilarious! Damn!" They were all roaring now (not really Steve, but when did he ever burst into laughter, really?)

Natasha swallowed. _'It's not happening,' _she told herself in her mind. _'Don't let him think you're jealous.'_ She smiled at Bruce, then held up a fist as if saying 'victory.' Bruce just watched her then smiled. Thank God Natasha was good at what she did or maybe she would've been transparent enough to show her crumbling newfound heart.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Guess what?

WE'RE CELEBRATING OVER 1,000 VIEWS ON THIS STORY! THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU GUYS I FEEL SO LOVED!

This has been newly edited. There shouldn't be any errors. If there are then damn, three days of nonstop work must've really got to my eyes. Please read, review, and enjoy.

* * *

Tony slapped a hand on Bruce's back as they walked. "Man, I can't believe you're going on a date with Tracy."

Bruce smiled but cocked an eyebrow at him. "Why is it so hard to believe that I have a date?" He asked the question, but knew the answer very well.

Tony laughed. "Well you haven't exactly been with a woman in…how long has it been?"

Bruce sighed and looked at his feet. "Too long."

"Exactly," Clint said as he started to walk with them, "so don't screw this up, okay Banner? It'd be nice if you could find a reason to be happy and talk a bit more."

Steve caught up with them, almost glaring at Clint before he looked at Bruce reassuringly. "Don't listen to Clint, Bruce. I mean, you should try to have fun, but you don't have to do anything with this girl you're not ready for."

Tony looked at the super soldier. "What, like fondue? Go back to your room, rookie. You can join a conversation like this once you actually talk to a girl."

Steve stopped and frowned. "I talk to Natasha!"

Tony rolled his eyes, and Clint laughed, but Bruce didn't laugh with him. His mouth pressed into a line and he didn't walk as fast. When they reached the elevator, Tony pushed the button for him as he was lost in thought. _'I've barely even talked to Natasha about Tracy. I wonder what she thinks about all of this.'_ Natasha was his only lady friend, and one of his best friends. Her opinion mattered very much to him.

There was no time for that right now. The elevator came, and Tony urged him inside. "Just don't get cold feet, slugger. Go knock her dead."

Clint held up a hand to protest. "But if she spills wine on your shirt or anything, don't actually _knock her dead_. Just take nice, easy breaths." He and Tony demonstrated how to take these breaths and Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Jackasses…"

They protested as the doors of the elevator closed, then Clint laughed. "You think he'll be alright?"

Tony shrugged with a small smile. "It's not really him I'm worried about."

As they both turned back, they both saw at the same time where Natasha stood from a distance and watched. Steve was also there, looking at her. Apparently the sight of her had made him freeze too. And it wasn't just the fact that Natasha had been watching,

it was the look on her face.

She looked broken, like someone standing in the rain with no umbrella, a ghost in a crowd of passing, bustling people. Maybe that's how she felt: forgotten.

Steve looked back at the others, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hardly, the look in his eyes calling out for help in this situation. Tony cleared his throat and ran a hand across his mouth, feeling his goatee. Then he turned his eyes back up to Steve. "Hey, Steve, I think Nick actually wanted to see us. I forgot to tell you."

Steve cocked an eyebrow at him. "Just you and me?"

Tony cleared his throat again, louder and gruffer this time, signaling with his eyes to Natasha. In his head he was saying, _'Get over here you big prehistoric idiot.'_

Steve caught on and hurried over to him, and then the two walked to the emergency exit stairs rather than having to deal with the awkward wait of the elevator. Once they were gone, Clint closed the distance between himself and Natasha. "Are you going to be alright?"

Natasha looked around him to the exit door. When her eyes captured his again, they were harsh. "Did you tell them?"

Clint cocked an eyebrow at her. "What?"

She looked down at the floor angrily. "Did you tell them…about the other day." She was referring to her falling asleep underwater and dreaming about Bruce, how Clint had snapped at her and yet he offered her compassion.

Clint shook his head, his voice lower than before. "Of course not. I would never tell anyone anything like that. You know me better than to assume something like that."

She looked back up at him, and her eyes were filled with hurt again. The porcelain mask that she'd been wearing was shattered, and now the real Natasha stood in front of him. "Clint, I'm afraid…" Her eyes were gleaming with something darker than happiness. "I'm afraid to have these feelings…"

Clint searched her eyes then didn't hesitate to pull her close to him in a hug and embrace her. He slid a hand in her hair as a comfort, and whispered her name. She let out a small sound, almost like a whine, and then they both went to their knees. Natasha curled up to him, seeking his comfort like she used to. Holding her close like this again brought back a swarm of memories to Clint's mind, but he tried vigorously to push them all away. He was only concerned right now with the sad Black Widow in his arms. "I'm here."

* * *

Gracious laughter came from a table in a French style restaurant where Bruce sat with Tracy. She smiled widely at him. He loved her smile. It was bright like sunshine. Even though it was a French style restaurant, Carmen: "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" played in the background softly. Bruce tried not to wonder about the restaurant's choice of music. Right now he was only concerned with the incredibly beautiful young woman sitting in front of him.

"I never knew that you were funny, Bruce," Tracy said as she picked a flower from the bouquet Bruce had brought her that now lay on the table. She smelled it's fragrance, then she looked at him from underneath her eyelashes.

Bruce swallowed. This was the art of seduction taking place. And they hadn't even gotten their meals yet. He reached forward and took his wine glass in his hand. "I didn't think that I was funny either. I thought it was called pointless sarcasm."

Tracy laughed and laid her flower on the table. "Well, maybe it is to other people," now her voice was soft, "but not to me." She batted her eyelashes, almost as if on purpose, and it made Bruce nervous.

He had no moves, no moves what-so-ever. He didn't know how to attract the ladies. He still couldn't even figure out how he'd gotten this date, or what possessed Tracy to ever even look his way in the first place. In his own eyes, Bruce was much less than an ordinary man - he was an awkward man with a curse. He lifted his glass to his mouth and took a drink. The wine didn't soothe him like he wished it would.

Tracy's eyes drifted to the table, then back up to him. "Bruce, can I ask you a question?" Her hands fiddled with the napkin in her lap.

His brows lifted and he placed the glass back down on the table. "Of course, you don't have to ask, Tracy."

Her eyes drifted back down to the embroidery in the tablecloth. "Well, what exactly does this date mean to you?"

Bruce studied her question carefully. What did the date mean? "Well…to me, this is a chance interaction with a beautiful woman in a low key French restaurant that plays Italian opera for some reason." She looked up at him. "I'm being serious." Her expression showed as much.

He swallowed. Serious, okay. "Well, I haven't been on a date with anyone in a really long time. I haven't even really spoken to a woman other than Natasha in a great amount of time."

Tracy cocked an eyebrow. "That red-headed woman that was with you the day we met?"

Bruce nodded. "Yeah."

She leaned a little closer to him, looking at him curiously. "What's your relationship with her anyway? Is she like a sister or something?"

Bruce laughed a little bit at the thought of Natasha being his sister. "No, Natasha's just a friend of mine." Just a friend? That seemed hardly accurate. Part of him didn't want to think about her right now, though, because he felt like it might ruin their date for him. And he didn't want to ruin anything for Tracy.

She smiled solemnly. "You don't…have feelings for her or anything like that, do you? She's not an ex-girlfriend that will always have part of your heart?"

Bruce swallowed then reached across the table, taking one of her hands in his own. "Tracy, she's only my friend. I've never dated her, and I don't really have any intention of that sort of relationship with her." That was actually a bit of a lie. Natasha was a beautiful woman, and Bruce had believed for some time now that it would be possible for him to think of her as more than just a friend. But he didn't want to worry Tracy with details. He was tired of thinking about Natasha on their date. "I don't even want to talk about her right now. In this moment my only concern is you."

Tracy smiled with weak eyes, as if in her head she was awing, and she placed her other hand on top of his other. "I'm so glad I met you, Bruce."

Bruce smiled at the younger woman. "I'm glad you did too."

* * *

Night might've arrived, but the city lights still illuminated everything outside, down every street and around every corner. Tracy stared out the car window at it all, marveling, as Bruce drove her home. He almost didn't want to watch the road. He was continuously glancing at her, smiling at the wonder and shine in her eyes. Was this part of the art of seduction? To bring out an innocent charm that could be easily derived from someone so younger? Bruce believed it was. That was a reason why he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

Bruce's heart sank when he pulled up to Tracy's apartment, where he'd picked her up only almost two hours before. He really didn't want to say goodbye yet. Secretly, Tracy's heart was speeding. She knew it was only their first date, but she longed for romantic contact like she'd had with Bruce at the college. She smiled at him and then stepped out of his car. No speaking in the car would mean he'd have to get out and follow her. Bruce did so, and Tracy's smile widened at her plan unwinding.

Bruce stepped out of the car, walking around to her side. He smiled down at her and walked her up the steps to the front door of her apartment building. Then he sighed, looking up at the structure. As he looked back down at her, he asked, "Well I didn't waste your evening, did I?"

Tracy giggled and shook her head. "Of course you didn't. I would much rather spend an evening with you than order Chinese takeout and watch some stupid movie."

He smiled at her, seeing his competition was slim. "Well I'm glad. I had much more fun doing this than what I normally do, too." He was referring to spending countless hours in the lab with Tony, a black coffee in his hand and dark bags under his eyes. When he was with Tracy, Bruce's eyes didn't seem tired. They looked as alive as he felt inside. "I guess I'll say goodnight."

Tracy stepped closer to him, looking down and smiling. "What's your rush, big guy?"

Bruce gulped, answering in his head, _'The __**real **__big guy.'_

She looked up at him from underneath her eyelashes, just as she'd done earlier that evening at dinner. "You don't want to go upstairs?"

Bruce's eyes widened and part of him wanted to step back, but his feet didn't listen to his mind. In his head, a mocking voice that sounded like Tony sang, _'My mind says no, but my body says yes~' _He laughed a bit out of nervousness. "On our first date you want me to see your apartment?"

She smiled and bit her lip. "Well, I'd expect you to look at more than just the apartment. It's not exactly what I want your main focus to be."

He laughed a bit again, scratching the back of his head. He, without her knowledge, pulled on his hair a bit, wondering if he was dreaming. When he didn't wake up, he assumed that this was real, and fear started to set in. "Well, gee, if I see your apartment on this date, then there'd be no suspense in having to wait to see it on our next date. That is if you even wanted a second date."

Tracy laughed a bit, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Yes, I would love a second date. And if you think suspense would make it more romantic - well that's why you're the genius and I'm just the school girl." She silenced Bruce's new nervous laughter at the thought, _'Oh my God, school girl,' _by grabbing his hair and pulling him down to her level. She smashed her lips into his, and Bruce could sense mutual longing there. He pulled her close, pressing her body against his own. Oh, how he wanted her, but he knew that he would never be able to have her. He couldn't risk ever going too far and becoming a mean guy that would rip her in half like a phone book. Bruce shuddered a bit and released her. "Uh, so when did you want that second date?"

Tracy giggled and cocked her head to the side. "How about next weekend? That'll give you a week to…well, prepare yourself."

Bruce was laughing again and he shook his head lightly. _'That great, huh?' _he wondered in his mind. "Okay, uh, I'll do that. Umm, I'll see you then, okay?" As he walked away, Tracy watched him, smiling.

* * *

Natasha shoved another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. Screw brain freeze, she wanted comfort. Steve and Clint were at the table with her, bowls of their own ice cream starting to melt in front of them as they watched her. Though Steve hadn't been entrusted with the secret of knowing who Natasha's new muse was, he was just really good at comforting people. And somehow he hadn't screwed up talking to Natasha yet.

"The girl can only be like, what, at the youngest maybe 19? _Maybe _20? And Bruce is just like," Natasha mocked his voice, "'Oh, gee, she's hot. I'm gonna totally change into a different person and go on a date with you. You're probably just a horny college student, but I'll date you even though I'll never be able to have sex again. Never mind who I was before or who slept on the floor in front of my room and showed that they cared. No I'm just sooooo googly eyes for you right now.' Pft, stupid." Natasha pushed another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

Clint had never seen Natasha this way, not even while they dated. Part of him wondered if she was drunk. Steve was a bit scared at the new Natasha, but he was also really worried for her. She seemed really upset for Bruce, who he thought was her best friend, and he knew what it was like to lose someone close to you.

Clint placed a hand on Natasha's free hand as Steve put a hand firmly on her shoulder. "It'll be alright, Natasha," Steve tried to assure her. "I'm sure it's not like that. Bruce is smarter than that."

Clint nodded. "It'll be okay, Nat. You're going to be fine."

Natasha wanted to believe them, but her heart still hurt. And she knew it wasn't from the ice cream.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **So sorry that this chapter is to short. But great news!

WE'VE SURPASSED THE 2,000 HITS MARK ON THIS STORY!

I seriously never thought this story would get that many views so quickly. Some of you have been saying in your reviews that you wanted me to hurry up and update, so here it is!

In my opinion, this chapter wasn't very necessary. That's why it's so short. So if you're thinking this'll be a chapter when romance really unfolds, sorry but no. I just needed this chapter so time could pass without me making a huge leap. But okay, if I didn't ruin the chapter for you, go ahead and read.

This has been newly edited. There shouldn't be any errors. If there are then damn, three days of nonstop work must've really got to my eyes. Please read, review, and enjoy.

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Whatever had been wrong with Natasha the night before that made her act all weird after Bruce went on his date was gone now. She acted completely normal when she got up that morning: quiet, unsmiling, not really saying anything to anyone. Clint exchanged glances with Steve when she walked in. She had already brushed her hair under control; she was dressed and wearing make-up already. It wasn't even noon yet.

"So, hey, Nat, feeling any better?" Clint asked. He wasn't sure if she had made herself get over Bruce overnight like she had to men in the past, or if this was a stage of denial setting in.

Natasha nodded as she poured herself a mug of coffee. Coffee? Since when did Natasha drink coffee? She always drank tea instead. "Yeah, I do feel better, thank you," was her response. She didn't even look at Clint.

Tony looked at Steve, then Clint, then Natasha, wondering what he'd missed. No one had filled him in last night as to why Natasha had been standing there all depressed after Bruce went to meet Tracy for their date. With another glance around the room, he noticed Thor standing sleepily by the toaster, but he didn't see Bruce. "Hey guys, where's Banner?"

Thor looked around at all of them, and Steve glanced around the room. "I actually don't know," Steve answered. "I haven't seen him since last night."

Natasha put back the coffee pot in the coffee maker, and stood there, unmoving. Her grip tightened on her coffee mug.

Clint looked down in the direction of the hallway. "Is he in his room? Did he even come in last night?"

Thor moved closer to the table. "I am not sure that I heard the green man come in last night. I believe I was already asleep."

A sound of crashing glass came from Natasha's direction, so everyone quickly looked that way. Clint was the first on his feet, closing the distance between himself and Natasha. Her mug was in pieces on the counter, on the floor, and in her hands. Actually _in _the skin. Hot coffee had stained the floor and left her hands red. Clint hurriedly wet a washcloth under the sink with cold water and draped it over Natasha's hands. Once that was done, he quickly led her to his room down the hall. The others just stood and watched in surprise.

Tony glanced to Steve then pointed at the coffee-glass mess. "Hop to it, Super Nanny." Steve blushed at him and rolled his eyes then went on with cleaning the mess anyway.

Clint sat Natasha on his bed, who was still silent. Even with blood and hot coffee on her hands, she didn't wince in pain or show any trace of irritation on her face. She sat blank faced and silent. It was enough to worry Clint. He took the washcloth off her hands and started to take out some of the bigger pieces of glass with his fingernails. When a piece of glass would come out and blood would start to gush, he would dab the wound with the cloth. He tried to show her the most delicate care that he could.

When the bigger pieces were out of her hands, he glanced up at her as he said, "I'm going to get some tweezers. I'll be right back." Then he stood and went to his bathroom for his first aid kit. He decided to bring back the entire kit with him. Clint set up on the floor by the bed where Natasha sat, still not uttering a word.

With the tweezers, he gently took out the smaller pieces of glass from Natasha's hand. He kept his eyes on her hand, not letting himself look up at her face. He wanted her to say something, anything. But she sat quietly. She didn't even hiss in pain as he pulled out a piece that was embedded deeply in her left hand.

Finally, Clint couldn't take it anymore. "Say something, Natasha," he pleaded, looking up at her eyes.

Natasha's eyes darted down to him and she swallowed. "What should I say? That getting over someone is harder than I remember?" Clint looked back down at her hand, muscles in his face tensing. "I'm Agent Romanoff, I'm supposed to be able to have my emotions under control."

Clint laughed once, not looking back up at her yet. "Yeah, you said that when you broke up with me."

Natasha frowned down at him. "I mean it, Clint. I've decided that I was foolish for liking Bruce in the first place. I need to be serious and calm at all times. I can't be a wreck over Bruce."

Clint pulled another piece of glass out of Natasha's hand. "You sure got a lot of glass in here." He looked up at her. "I'm sorry, what was that about not being calm?"

Natasha yanked her hand away. "I think I'm fine now, thank you," she snapped.

Clint stood in front of her. "I'm sorry, it's just this denial of yours, it stretches too far. First you wanted to deny that you were in love with me so you broke things off with me." Natasha looked away. "And now you're trying to deny your feelings for Bruce." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Nat, don't make him suffer through what I had to go through. And don't put yourself through all of this again. It's okay for you to like Bruce, even if I don't really like it. It's not a big deal. You should be happy."

She looked at him and crossed her arms. "It is a big deal! He's already dating someone else, so even if I did want to make a move on him, he's already taken. That's the issue. I can't like Bruce when he's single because I'd be over protective of him like I was before, and I can't like him when he's dating someone else because then it's like I'm trying to steal him away. I won't be that kind of person."

Clint just stared at her for a moment, then sighed. He hated it when she was right. "I guess you know what you're talking about. That's the sort of sacrifice we make with this job. Family doesn't come with the package." He smiled solemnly at her. God, how he still loved her.

Natasha stood. "Thank you for taking the glass out of my hands." She grabbed the gauze from his first aid kit. "I guess I should wrap my palms. I'll give this back to you later." With that she was out the door.

Clint looked at the glass on the small paper towel he'd laid out. For just one second, a twisted part of his mind considered keeping a piece. Proof that Natasha did feel emotions other than hatred. But he only shook his head at himself and gathered the pieces in the paper and threw them away.

* * *

Bruce didn't come back to Stark Tower until about two in the afternoon. He went directly to Tony's lab, where Tony was arguing with Pepper on the phone and Steve sat sketching something. When Bruce came in, Steve looked up at him and smiled. "It's Bruce," he said, setting his sketchbook and pencil in his lap.

Tony looked at Steve then up at Bruce. "Hang on, Pep, Bruce just walked in." There was a bit of protesting from Pepper as Tony hung up. He set down his phone on his desk then held out his arms. "Bruce! My boy! Home so late! Where've you been?"

Pepper started ringing Tony's phone again, and Steve was trying to figure out how to answer it. Bruce half smiled. "I didn't sleep with her, Tony. I didn't stay the night there, either."

Steve had somehow managed to answer the call but was holding the phone upside down as he was trying to deal with the cranky Pepper. Tony cocked an eyebrow. "Then where the hell have you been? We were all wondering what happened to you."

"Yes, Bruce is just now getting home from his date- …No I'm not sure how it went. I think that's what Tony is- …Well I'm sure he didn't mean to hang up on you. Maybe he meant to press hold. This phone is so confusi- …What do you mean I sound distant?"

Tony rolled his eyes and turned the phone the right way in Steve's hand. "So what about it, Bruce?"

Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair. "After I left her place I did a lot of thinking, drove around for hours. I just didn't feel like coming home and confronting you guys about the date when I wasn't even sure what to think about it myself. So I rented a hotel room for the night."

Tony crossed his arms. "You rented a hotel room just so you wouldn't get the third degree? Bruce where's that brain of yours?"

Bruce sighed. "All over the wall, honestly." He popped his neck. "I've decided that I can't go out with her again."

Tony and Steve both shared a shocked, "What?" and then Steve had to turn back to Tony's phone, explaining anything he could to Pepper. He got up and walked away, pacing. Tony shook his head at him then looked back to Bruce. "Why aren't you going to go out with Tracy again?"

Bruce shrugged. "She wants to have sex with me."

"That's a good thing."

"No it's not."

"Why? Sex is great."

"Because, Tony, I'd Hulk out and tear her in half."

"Well that'd be quite a story to tell at the water cooler the next day, huh?"

"Tony I'm serious!"

Tony held up his hands in defense. "I can see that. Don't get angry." When Bruce let out a deep breath, he continued. "I guess you have three options."

Bruce rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah? And what are those?"

Tony held up one finger. "Well, one, you can do like you say and break up with her. But that's not really the best option. We all know you'd be happier if you stayed with her."

Bruce nodded. "Okay, so what are you suggesting as the other two?"

Tony pursed his lips, holding up a second finger. "Well, it's a long shot, but you could just tell her that you're one of those guys who doesn't believe in sex before marriage. If she decides to stay with you, that could at least buy you some time."

Bruce nodded again, running a thumb across his chin, really considering that. "I like that one. But what's the third option?"

Tony shrugged, holding up a third finger. "You could tell her the truth: that you're the Hulk and that if your heart accelerates you lose control."

Bruce shook his head. "No, she'd never believe that. I'm sorry Tony, but even if I do have _that guy_ on my side, why would she believe me?" He put his hands on his hips. "I guess I'm just going to have to tell her that I'm not a believer of premarital sex. If that isn't good for her, if sex is so important, then I guess that'll be the end of it."

Bruce walked away, and Tony turned to notice that Steve was still talking on the phone to Pepper. Curiosity got to him and he picked up Steve's sketchbook. Flipping it open to the page that Steve had marked with his pencil made Tony's face fade green. "Steve…what in God's name is this?" Steve looked at him and his eyes widened. Tony held the book away from him, staring at it horrified. "Why am I wearing-"

"Tony don't look at that!" Steve yelled, diving at him. Tony's phone cascaded to the floor, Pepper freaking out on the other end, as Steve wrestled the screaming Tony to the floor, trying to get his sketchbook back, his face completely red.

* * *

Bruce went upstairs into the living area and sat, turning on the TV. He heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't look back, not until he heard Natasha's voice say, "Finally home?"

He looked back at her and smiled a bit. "Yeah."

She came in and sat down next to him. "So," she said looking at the floor, "how was it?"

Bruce smirked and cocked an eyebrow. "What? The date or the sex?" Natasha looked at him a bit wide eyed, the slightest pink blush coming to her cheeks. Bruce chuckled. "I'm kidding. I didn't have sex with her. I rented a hotel room last night, needed time to clear my head."

Natasha let out the breath she'd been holding, and smiled the tiniest bit. "But was the date okay?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Bruce noticed her hands were wrapped with gauze. "My God, Natasha, what happened to you?" He reached out and gently took one of her hands, turning it palm-up so he could see the blood stains.

Natasha swallowed. "I accidentally broke a coffee mug."

He looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. "A coffee mug? But you always drink tea."

Natasha just searched in his eyes then smiled. "It's good to have you back home, Bruce."

He laughed a bit. "God, Natasha, what am I going to do with you?"

Natasha looked away, the blush and smile leaving her face. She took her hand from Bruce's, then smiled back at him. "I'm okay, really."

Bruce studied her for a moment then nodded, accepting that answer. He smiled at her with a sigh. God, how he worried about her.

Tony eventually came back upstairs, still looking a bit pale. Steve came up and went straight to his room, closing the door loudly. Bruce looked over the back of the couch at Tony. "Hey, you okay?"

Tony nodded slowly, pulling his shirt farther down by his waist. "I just…I have a lot on my mind right now. I think I'm going to go and lie down…" He walked like a zombie to his own area on the floor where the master bedroom was and closed his door.

Bruce exchanged glances with Natasha and shrugged. "I don't have a clue." He smiled at her again and made her feel warm inside. She hated it; she hated this feeling of warmness that she got from seeing him smile at her. A smile jerked at the corners of her mouth, but she only allowed a second-long half smile. She was tired of emotions. They kept eating her up inside. She wanted to spill them all out to Bruce, just to see if that would rid her of them and make this problem go away.

She knew that it wouldn't.

So instead she just sat there next to him, watching the news, praying that he wouldn't speak or smile at her or stretch and yawn or do anything at all that could make her smile or feel happy.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I am soooo sorry I was gone for so long I lost internet on my computer. But now I can use the computer at my school so yay! And while I was gone...

**WE PASSED THE 4,000 VIEWS MARK ON THIS STORY! I'M SO PROUD!**

Anyway, I won't hold you back. Please read, review, and enjoy!

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"Wait, really?" Tracy asked, her eyes a bit wider in shock. She whispered, "_No sex_?"

Bruce swallowed and nodded. "I would've waited to tell you that I don't believe in premarital sex, but, to be honest, you were sending signals on our last date. If that's a deal breaker for you, if you really need to have sex in your relationships, then I suggest you find someone else to be your boyfriend."

Tracy shook her head, taking one of Bruce's hands in her own from across the table. This was their second date, which included getting coffee and then going to see a movie. This was the getting coffee part. And the breaking-the-news-to-Tracy-in-hopes-she-won't-throw-hot-coffee-all-over-Bruce part.

"No, Bruce, sex isn't that important. Sure, it's great, and I know it'd be amazing with you." Bruce blushed a bit and she continued with a smile. "But I have sex with guys to bond, not to get my 'fix.' You and I will just have to find some other way to bond, like spending time together."

Bruce sighed with a smile. "How am I so lucky? You're not lying, right? This isn't some prank? Or you're not going to keep trying in hopes I'll give in, right?"

Tracy laughed, leaning forward to give him a kiss. "Don't be stupid, Dr. Banner. It's not your nature." She bit her lip to hold back a smile. "Does that mean that you're…a virgin?"

Bruce's blush deepened. Well, he wasn't actually a virgin, but to keep this lie going, he'd have to say that he was, or it wouldn't make sense. He cleared his throat. "Umm, actually, yes…"

Tracy giggled, but then had to cover her mouth so her laughs couldn't escalate. Bruce loved her laugh, and though he wasn't actually a virgin, he thought it was a bit rude that she was laughing at him.

"I'm sorry," she said, still smiling, "I didn't actually mean to laugh; that was mean." She leaned across the small table and kissed his nose. "I think you're adorable."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure about this? I mean, we're not officially boyfriend and girlfriend. You could end this date right now; I wouldn't blame you." Bruce was serious. He didn't want to really like her and end up being broken up with a few months in because she couldn't take it anymore.

Tracy gave him a soft smile. "I want to be your girlfriend."

Bruce smiled and chuckled lightly, cupping her cheek in his hand. "Then I'll be your boyfriend."

"What?!" Tony asked in shock. Clint's eyes were wide too, a piece of pizza mid-shoved in his mouth.

Steve smiled big and laughed. "Well that's great! It's a good thing she was able to accept you."

"I do not understand," Thor boomed, looking at Tony and Clint's surprised expressions. "Why is it so surprising that the green man has been accepted by this Tracy girl as her mate?"

Clint swallowed hardly to talk past the pizza in his mouth. "Because she's okay with not having sex, Thor."

Tony was just completely upset. "I can't believe this! You mean she's really okay with no sex? What if you date for like five years? She's okay with not having sex for that long?" He looked at Natasha. "Can girls really go that long without sex?"

Natasha shrugged. "You'd be surprised."

Clint pointed his pizza at Bruce. "Yeah, about that, how do _you _go so long without sex?"

Bruce chuckled a bit, blush coming to his cheeks. "It's not like I have a choice."

As the other men buzzed around Bruce, and Tony just _had _to ask Steve if he was a 90-something year old virgin or if he just hadn't been laid in 70 years, Natasha watched them all. It'd been a week since she abandoned her feelings for Bruce. Even so, it still wasn't easy for her to talk about Bruce's love life. It was like an alcoholic quitting cold turkey that didn't want to go to AA meetings. No one thought ill of it. They just assumed she thought they were all idiots, which she did.

Later that night, Natasha was already in her nightgown, in bed reading a book by her nightstand's lamp, when someone knocked on her bedroom door. She looked at the door, wondering who it was. Maybe Bruce, who would ask for advice about Tracy. "Just a second," she said in a hushed voice. Everyone else was already asleep.

She got out of bed and put on a robe over her nightgown, tying the belt, before she went to her door. Natasha patted her hair before cracking it open. Clint stood there. "Clint?"

He pushed the door open the rest of the way, coming in and closing it behind him. Clint was in his sleeping attire too: shirtless with only sweatpants on. Natasha looked him over with her eyes. "What are you doing in here? Can you not sleep?"

"How are you holding up?"

She paused then swallowed. "I'm fine."

Clint groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Liar."

Natasha glared. "I'm serious. I'm over him." She still kept her voice down. "That doesn't mean I want to talk with him about how he can't have sex with Tracy."

He crossed his arms. "Are you happy about that? That they can't have sex?"

"Why would that make me happy? He can't have sex with anyone." She was genuinely annoyed right now - mostly because she actually _was _happy that he couldn't have sex with anyone else.

"What about the fact that she's going to stay with him anyway?" When there was no immediate response from Natasha, he added, "Did you think that she would leave him? That sex was so important?"

Natasha put her hands on her hips, not meeting his gaze anymore. "She's a college girl. Of _course _sex matters to her. She's just going to hold out until he either gives in or puts a ring on her finger."

Clint cocked his head to try and meet her eyes. "Do you really think Bruce will do that?"

She looked back at him again. "Obviously not for the sex, but she doesn't know that. He can't hide his secret from her for forever. If they do get married he'll have to tell her the truth. There's no way she'd stay in a relationship where she could never have sex again."

Clint cocked an eyebrow. "But you could? You could go your whole life never having sex again if it meant you could be with Bruce?"

Natasha lowered her head. "…Yes."

Clint was silent before closing the space between them, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You know, the offer is still open, for us…"

She looked up at him again, a stern expression on her face. "Why would I want that?"

He shrugged. "You said you're over Bruce. …Were you with anyone else…after us?" What was it that his stare held? It was longing, but it was hopeful for something else.

Natasha turned her eyes away. _'Only in my dreams,' _she answered in her head. After Clint she hadn't wanted anyone else until she developed feelings for Bruce. Now she didn't know what she wanted.

Clint took her chin between his thumb and index finger to lift her face. "Natasha…" He wet his lips, searching her eyes. "You are the only person who's ever mattered this much to me. No one else could ever come before you. There is no one else for me. And I can give you things that Bruce _can't_. Like true love, a family, and yes, sex. We won't be agents forever; someday we're going to get old. You may want a family someday, and if you choose to love Bruce, you'll never have it."

Natasha knew he was right. Even if adoption was a possibility in that fantasy, Bruce would never want kids until he was cured. "Who said I wanted a family? Who said I even wanted sex? Maybe I just want to do this for the rest of my life, die someday doing my job."

He shook his head. "No, Natasha, you deserve a life outside of all this. You need to die an old woman, beside a man that you love, watching generations that followed you live healthy lives. You don't deserve to die in an explosion or at the hands of the Hulk."

She swallowed. "It's what I choose."

"Yeah, well, what if he doesn't ever choose you back, huh? What if he chooses her? What if _she's _okay with everything you just listed: no kids, no sex, just him? What would you do then?" He brought his face closer to hers. "I'm not going to wait forever for just a chance, either." Clint released her chin but still watched her face for any reaction.

Natasha stared at the floor for a few moments before turning harsh eyes to him. "So what do you want from me, Clint? _Sex? _Is that what you want? Is that all you've ever wanted?"

He scoffed. "Because I'm such an awful person? Because all I ever wanted before was sex? You broke up with me because I wanted a future with you, and you're afraid of the future even more than you are of the past." Clint hesitated to be close to her again. "Will we ever have anything again?"

She wanted to believe him, that she was just afraid. Even though there was still a part of her that loved Clint, she didn't ever want to admit that she was afraid of anything. Natasha wouldn't be afraid of feelings anymore.

With no warning, she reached up to latch a hand in his hair and bring him down to her level so that she could kiss him on the mouth. Clint was taken aback in surprise at first, then he put his hands on her face. He didn't trust himself to put his hands anywhere else.

Natasha only kissed him for a few seconds before pushing him away. "No," was her blunt answer. "No. We'll never have anything again. I can't. But I'm not afraid to admit that I do still feel for you. I'm sorry. I love Bruce."

Clint stroked a thumb over his lips, just watching her. "He doesn't love you."

"Then I'll die alone."

She reached around him to open the door so he would leave. This was it. Clint turned from her just to stare at the open doorway. She was making him leave. After something like that, she was kicking him out.

"Just like old times…" he murmured.

Then he walked out, and she closed the door right behind him. Natasha just stood there for a few minutes, not sure if she'd be able to move again. Part of her was tempted to sleep on the floor, but instead she took aching steps back to her bed, shedding her robe, and crawling under the covers.

Natasha came back out of her room a few hours later. The hours had reached the AM, and she still couldn't sleep. When she wandered out to the kitchen, and Bruce wasn't there, she sighed. Natasha got her shot, as usual, and stood there staring at it for a few seconds before downing it. It wasn't the same without Bruce.

Natasha didn't want to love Bruce. She would go her entire life saying she'd wished she'd never loved anyone. But all of this denial wasn't good for her health, and it made her look like a coward. It had taken Clint for her to realize that. She loved Bruce; she couldn't run away from that. She could suppress it to a dark space of her mind and hope that it never resurfaced, but she couldn't will it away forever. Now she knew that. It didn't make things any better.

Days passed until Bruce and Tracy were celebrating a one month anniversary. It would be 11 months until his current unleashing of the Hulk, though none of the Avengers knew that.

Clint wasn't trying to pry feelings out of Natasha anymore, and everyone around the tower stopped making such a big deal out of everything that Bruce did with Tracy. Pepper had to remind Tony that he had his own girlfriend to think about, and that caused controversy for a few days until it eventually settled. Steve had enjoyed teasing him about it, though.

Bruce and Natasha didn't talk as much, and when they did, they weren't real conversations. They were things like "Did you make coffee?" and "Have you seen my tie anywhere?" They didn't wake up in the middle of the night together anymore. It was always either Natasha having a single shot and going back to bed with no one to comfort her, or Bruce sitting in quiet with his cup of black coffee with no one to talk to. Bruce seemed okay with it; he had a girlfriend now. But Natasha was miserable. She felt like she couldn't even go to Clint for comfort anymore.

Tony, Steve, and Thor had all noticed how down Natasha was, but any time they asked her about it or brought it up, she'd wave it away, saying that she was fine. Clint didn't speak to her at all. He didn't hate her, but he'd grown tired of waiting and being so patient so that now it was just too painful to speak to her. Bruce knew there was something wrong, but he thought that if Natasha wanted to talk about it, she'd come to him when she was ready. She never came.

Months kept scooting on by until Bruce and Tracy were going to have their 6 month anniversary. Six months away from Bruce's incident with Natasha. Still, no sex.

It was on this night that Tony and Clint and Steve and Thor were all giddy again for Bruce's date. Natasha didn't know why, but then again, no one ever told her anything. She'd hardly said a word to anyone in months. It was almost as if she wasn't there anymore.

"Tonight's the big night, Brucey Boy!" Tony said in an excited voice as they all walked to the elevator.

Bruce blushed, smiling. "I know. I'm so nervous."

Clint shook his head. "Don't be. You'll do fine. But just remember, if things go wrong…" He and Tony demonstrated his breathing exercises again like they had on his first date with Tracy.

Steve pushed Tony. "Stop it, you guys! This is a big night for him!"

Thor laughed proudly. "It is sure that this will be a most glorious night for you both!"

Bruce smiled at them. "Okay guys, I gotta get in the elevator now."

"Good luck!" Steve said, almost as if he was sending Bruce off to his first day of Kindergarten.

"Yeah, don't screw up!" came the sarcastic add in from Tony.

They all laughed when Steve picked up Tony over his shoulder, carrying him away.

"That's enough out of you!"

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

Bruce was gone and Natasha emerged from her room to see what was going on. The guys fell mostly silent when they saw her. "What's going on?" That was the first thing she'd said in so long.

Steve hesitated to plop Tony down on the floor.

"Ow, damn it!" Tony yelled, glaring up at the super soldier. Then he looked at Natasha, still on the floor. "Bruce is popping the question tonight."

Natasha felt like her world was shattered. She just stared in shock at them all, hoping that it was a joke. "But…it's only been six months."

Steve smiled. "Isn't it great?"

Clint could tell from her expression that it wasn't. She quickly looked down at the floor. Her fists were tightening at her sides until her knuckles were white, and she was trembling slightly.

The other guys didn't know what was going on, but Clint did. He didn't care about secrets anymore or how much he'd been hurt by Natasha. He still loved her, damn it, and he didn't want to see her this way. He hurried forward and took her in his arms. She held him back, fingers digging into his shirt. "It's okay…"

Tony was confused as he stood. "What's going on? Were those the secret words or something?"

Clint looked back at them. "She-"

"I love him."

They all looked at her wide eyed as she stood to face them. "Y-you what?" Tony felt the need to sit back down again.

Natasha looked like she was in such agony, but she wouldn't cry. "I love him."

Steve took a step forward. "That's why…" It was all becoming clear now why Natasha had distanced herself from them all. He put a hand on Tony's shoulder, and they exchanged stern looks. "We have to stop him."

Clint looked at them all, surprised. "Are you crazy?"

"What would be mad about bringing two of our closest friends together once again?" Thor boomed. "This cannot happen. We must stop our dear friend from making a grave mistake."

Tony started towards the elevator. "I'll get my supersuit; I'll get there faster that way."

"You can't stop him from proposing to Tracy!" Clint yelled.

"Why not?!" Steve asked, and he was actually surprised by Clint.

"Because I love him!" Natasha yelled. "And I won't have you ruin his big night!"

They all stopped to stare at her in disbelief.

"But, Natasha," Tony stated in complete disarray, "he's going to marry someone else. He's going to marry _Tracy_."

She looked at the floor again. "I know. But I want him to be happy."

The elevator opened with a 'ding' but everyone stayed still. The doors remained open for a few seconds before closing again. No one was going anywhere.

Natasha smiled at them. "I'll be okay…"

Clint hugged her again tightly, and then Steve and the others closed in to join and make it a group hug. They hadn't known the pain Natasha had been in, but they could only imagine the agony that was coming for her.


	8. Chapter 8

Time went by too slowly as all the Avengers waited for Bruce to return home from his date with Tracy. Steve sat rigid in a chair; Tony was laid out on one of the couches; Thor laid upside down on the end of the other couch; Clint paced back and fourth across the room; Natasha sat unmoving in the kitchen. Hours went by, and no one moved to the refrigerator or the bathroom. The suspense was too great for bowel movements.

The first person to say anything after three hours was Tony. He groaned, saying, "This is ridiculous."

Thor nodded. "I agree. All of this waiting is causing my insides to make strange, angry noises."

Steve stood, deciding that no matter how impatient everyone was right now, they all had to be hungry. He moved to the kitchen to prepare some eggs (really the only food he knew how to cook.) "Maybe she said no."

Tony turned his attention to Steve. "What makes you say that?"

Steve shrugged as he pulled the eggs from the fridge. "Think about it: she says no, it breaks his heart, thus he wants to be alone for a while."

"No." Natasha shook her head, hugging herself. "If she said no, he would've hurried back here in case he couldn't control his anger. She said yes. They're celebrating their love." A single tear fell from her eye onto her knuckles on her left hand, and she wiped it away, hoping no one had noticed.

Clint stopped pacing and came over to her, hugging her from behind. After that, there wasn't much talking again for a while. When Steve's eggs were finished, everyone moved into the kitchen to sit down and eat in silence.

By one in the morning, everyone was exhausted. Tony wouldn't stop looking at the clock every ten seconds, and finally Steve yelled, "Tony would you stop that!"

Tony crossed his arms and stood. "I just can't take it anymore. This is too much waiting."

Clint scoffed. "If you think you've got it hard right now, maybe you'd like to remember the woman in this room waiting to see if the man she loves is engaged or not." He glanced at her, meeting her eyes, then looked back down at the table.

Natasha swallowed, feeling almost embarrassed having everyone know that she was in love with Bruce. But then again, it made her happy that Clint was acknowledging that fact. She still somehow felt sorry for him, though.

Then, a light came on above the elevator with a small _ding_ sound. Everyone jumped up, turning to the elevator. When the doors opened, Bruce was standing there, his blazer open and his tie missing somehow. He looked at them, slowly smiled, then raised a hand in the air as a triumphant gesture. "She said yes." His voice sounded odd, almost as if he was drunk. Everyone picked up on it.

Tony and Thor moved towards the elevator to Bruce's sides. "Brucey, are you wasted? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Tony asked, very obviously annoyed.

Bruce smiled at him. "No, I'm just so happy! I've never been this happy my entire life." He pulled Tony into a one-armed hug.

Steve, Clint, and Natasha were still standing by the table, both men on Natasha's sides. Without speaking, both of them shared the same thought that they knew they would never understand how Natasha could be in so much pain while smiling at the same time.

She walked up to Bruce, grin still wide on her face, and wrapped him in a hug. "Congratulations, Bruce."

He was a bit surprised, but he still hugged her back. "Thanks." Then he looked up at all the others, who were still frozen in shock. He still smiled, although he was confused. "What? Come on guys, I'm engaged!"

Clint walked up to him with a fake smile and shook his hand. "Congrats, Bruce." After him came everyone else, giving handshakes or small bro-hugs. None of them seemed genuinely enthusiastic, but Bruce decided to himself that they were just too tired to be excited.

"So," Steve started to ask, "now that you're engaged, does she know that you're…that you become the Green Giant when you're angry?" Tony was able to slip out a small chuckle at that, and mouthed the call of the Green Giant: _ho ho ho._

Bruce shook his head and turned his face to the floor. "No, umm, I haven't told her yet." When he saw the same expression on the face of everyone there, he rubbed the back of his neck and added, "I've been waiting for the right time to tell her. It'll come along." He paused. "Maybe after the wedding, so at least then it'll be harder to let go of me."

Natasha looked completely heartbroken, more for him than herself. She hated that he was being forced to hide this terrible secret in an effort to find love when she could've given him all the love he needed. She tried to let that wash away so she could say, "The time will come along."

Time went on and the moment to tell Tracy the truth still hadn't come yet. Tracy kept asking when she was going to see Bruce's apartment, when she was going to see his friends again, but he kept saying, "Maybe another time." The wedding was coming closer, and Natasha knew that she had to talk to Bruce.

It was a night that she woke up after a nightmare and walked out to the kitchen. Bruce was there, drinking a cup of black coffee, the mug nestled between his laced hands. She wanted to smile, but instead Natasha decided to keep her composure. "Hey." Forgetting about her shot, she pulled out a chair next to him and sat down.

Bruce glanced at her and looked back down into his coffee cup. "Hey," he replied, in a very tired and sad voice.

Natasha frowned slightly and reached out to touch his arm. "You know, you would feel better if you told her the truth." She didn't need to explain herself. Bruce knew what she was talking about. He'd never admit it, but Bruce always felt connected in some way to Natasha. She pressed the issue further. "Bruce, she deserves to know. In a two more months, you're going to be standing with her in front of a lot of people, and you're going to promise that you'll always love her and that you'll never betray her trust." She swallowed. "You're already doing that, Bruce. You're lying to her."

Bruce turned a harsher face and tone of voice to her. "Don't you think I know that? I know what's going on in my relationship." He looked down at his mug again, frustrated. "I'm just…afraid." He turned, not to look directly at Natasha, but to look somewhere past her to avoid eye contact. "I don't want to lose her."

Natasha wasn't sure what to say because she wasn't completely sure how she felt about the situation. She couldn't say she'd be sad if Tracy decided to leave Bruce after learning about his secret. She might feel bad about how miserable Bruce would be, but she wanted him for her own. It was incredibly selfish, but Natasha couldn't help herself.

There were a few more occasions of Natasha trying to tell Bruce that he needed to be truthful with Tracy, that maybe she would understand, but he was always still too afraid. With time, she gave up, coming to terms with the fact that it was all out of her hands. She would just have to wait and see what would happen.

Then, it was only eight days before the wedding. Catering parties had been reserved, dresses had been bought, and it had been arranged for everyone to be flown to Tony's Malibu beach house, where the wedding would take place. Only the Avengers and Tracy would be staying at the Malibu house. It had been arranged and paid for so that everyone else would be staying at a luxurious hotel nearby.

Once in Malibu, Bruce and Tracy had a small announcement. They confronted the other Avengers about it (of course, Tracy didn't know they were the Avengers.) "Instead of having separate bachelor and bachelorette parties, we want to have one big party together."

Bruce clarified, saying, "Not really a big party, just us and maybe the bridesmaids and groomsmen."

Tony smiled. "Well, I'm never someone to turn down a big party. How about tonight, out on my yacht. It'll be great." Before Bruce or Tracy could respond, he held up a hand, saying, "No, no comments. We're doing this."

The bride and groom both left to go make calls to the rest of the wedding party, asking who wanted to party on short notice. Of course, everyone said yes, except for one of the bridesmaids whose _Aunt Flo _had come to visit. Her anger at herself and Mother Nature was completely evident, even over the phone.

Natasha wasn't very enthusiastic about a yacht party. She felt odd about the whole thing - being in Malibu to watch the man she loved get married to a girl who wasn't even out of college yet. Even so, Natasha went to her room so that she could put on her swimsuit under her clothes, took a couple of deep breaths, and then went out to join the others down at the docks.

Tony's yacht was hardly a yacht. It was more like a small cruise liner. There was a regular-sized pool on the boat. That hardly made sense to Natasha, Steve, or Thor. Why would you want a pool if you were surrounded by water?

The party itself wasn't too wild, and it was actually in fairly good taste, considering it was a Stark party. There were no strippers, at least.

No, Tracy pretty much took up that job on her own.

Natasha had never seen a smaller bikini in all her life. There wasn't even enough fabric there to make a decent hat, in Natasha's mind. Tracy didn't seem to mind, though. She strutted around in that small, white bikini like the queen of the boat. Tony wouldn't stop staring at her. But when Natasha looked at Bruce, he seemed maybe like he was embarrassed or uncomfortable to see Tracy walking around almost naked.

As she sat at the edge of the pool with her feet in the water, Tony asked, "So, Tracy, how long are we going to have to wait before you amaze us with a beautiful jump off the diving board?"

She smiled and laughed lightly. "Thanks, Tony, but I won't be doing that tonight." She looked down into the water again. "I don't swim very well."

Bruce smiled at her, wading towards her in the water, taking both her hands. "Come on, sweety, just come in the shallow end. Do you trust me?"

Tracy bit her lip and nodded. "Yes."

Bruce picked her up and carried her to the shallow end, where he slowly set her down on her feet as she squealed at how cold the water was.

They weren't the only ones in the pool, though. Most of the other passengers were in the water - it was just the Avengers who hadn't ventured into the pool. Tony, Steve and Natasha hadn't even stripped down into their swimsuits yet. Clint and Thor were lounging in their swim trunks, just enjoying the sun.

At one point, Clint waved Natasha over to where he was laying on a lawn chair. "Why aren't you in your swimsuit?" he asked.

Natasha rubbed her arms. "I don't know these people, Clint."

He rolled his eyes but smiled at her. "Natasha, you have an amazing body. Just get in your swimsuit. You'll feel a lot better." There was no direct action from her. Clint sat up. "Come on, Natasha. It has to be 90 degrees out here and you're sitting there in all-black clothes. Take them off, please."

Natasha sighed when she realized there was no way she was going to win with Clint. It was even worse when Tony overheard and smiled, saying, "Is Natasha actually _shy_?"

With a groan, she slipped out of her shoes, saying, "Men: never satisfied until every woman around them is half naked." Next came her pants before she finally took her top off, scooting her clothes behind Clint's chair. Her swimsuit wasn't as "extravagant" as Tracy's - just a simple one-piece black swimsuit that was low-cut before coming into a clip and then showing a cut of her stomach. It also had a deep back, showing off much of her fair skin.

Clint just stared. "Damn."

Tony whistled at her, looking her up and down. Natasha picked up one of her shoes and hit him with it, making him laugh. Steve tried not to look at her and to not show his blush.

Natasha walked over to the pool and sat down on the edge so that her feet were in the water. Clint was right, she did feel better. For just a moment, Natasha closed her eyes, feeling the heat of the sun on her skin, and the coolness of the water between her toes.

Bruce swam over to her, almost shocked at how amazing she looked. "Wow, Natasha. You look incredible."

She smiled and shook her head. "No, this is not what incredible looks like. Incredible is your fiancé."

Bruce looked back at her then to Natasha. "Do you think maybe that swimsuit isn't enough?"

Natasha shrugged. "I don't know. That's not really my decision."

At that moment, Tracy climbed out of the pool, and looked to Natasha. "Hey, Natasha, do you think I can talk to you for a second?" Natasha looked at Bruce, then back at Tracy and nodded. As she stood, Tracy told Bruce, "We'll be back in a minute."

Bruce smiled at them. "Take your time, ladies. I still have to decide on a best man."

At that, Tony jumped up, waving a hand. "Oh! Oh! Pick the guy that's throwing this awesome party and is your best science bro ever!"

"What is a best man?" Thor asked. "Is this a competition to judge who among us is the strongest?" He stood. "Then allow me to compete for this title!"

Steve face palmed and shook his head. "No, Thor, just, no."

By then, Natasha and Tracy were at a part of the boat where no one else was around. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you, Natasha, but I never really get to see you," Tracy told her.

Natasha leaned back against the railing on the side of the boat. "Okay, go ahead and ask." She wasn't the most polite person towards Tracy, but she could be saying much meaner things.

Tracy looked almost embarrassed. "Well, I tried asking Bruce if he had a sister or cousin or something that he would like to be a bridesmaid, but he didn't really ever want to talk about his family. But then I remembered the first day we met, and you were there. You seem to be really close friends with Bruce."

Natasha nodded, not looking directly at her. "We've known each other for quite some time now." The things they'd been through together were things that Tracy could never aspire to understand.

Tracy smiled and nodded. "Yeah. That's why I was going to ask you if you wanted to be one of my bridesmaids." Natasha looked almost confused. "I know it seems sudden, but there's an odd number of bridesmaids and groomsmen, and I thought maybe you could be another bridesmaid and maybe Bruce could choose one of his friends to be the other groomsman. What do you think?"

Natasha genuinely thought about it for a moment, but then shook her head. "I don't mean to be rude, but wearing a dress and being a bridesmaid wouldn't really be my thing. I think I'd be more bothersome than helpful to the atmosphere." That was true, but she was also coming to this consensus because it was hard enough for her to think about even attending Bruce's wedding.

Tracy nodded, a half smile on her face. "No, I completely understand. But thank you for thinking about it. If you change your mind, it won't be too late for a few more days." She hesitated to say, "I just would've really liked to have someone so special to Bruce in the wedding ceremony." With that, she walked away, and Natasha followed soon after.

Tracy hopped back into the shallow end of the pool, and Natasha walked up on what seemed to be Tony doing a happy dance about getting to be Bruce's best man. "Free drinks for everyone!" No one had to remind Tony that everyone's drinks had been free.

Then, suddenly, a loud noise came from somewhere in the bottom of the boat. The captain ran out, frantic. "The engine room is on fire! Everyone off the boat!"

There was loud screaming as everyone took a mad dash for the sides of the boat. Bruce called out to Tracy, but somehow he'd lost her in all the commotion. A minute or two after everyone exited the boat, it exploded, sending out large currents that sucked everyone underwater.

When Natasha popped up, she saw a few other men and women that she didn't know, flailing around in the water and screaming. "Bruce!" she screamed. "Bruce! Clint!"

Not far from her, Bruce resurfaced, and immediately started growling. Natasha hurriedly swam over to him and hung onto him for dear life. "No, Bruce, no! Damn it, do not do this right now!" Other people began to break the water, including all the other Avengers, who watched them in terror.

"Tracy!" Bruce called out to her, his voice cracking. He struggled to get away from Natasha, but she wouldn't let go of him.

"No, Bruce! No! Forget about her for a second. Just breathe, please breathe." She stroked his head, speaking weakly as she touched her forehead to his and they shivered slightly. "Breathe with me Bruce, stay with me, please."

He quietly whispered Tracy's name, looking as if he were on the brink of tears. Natasha held him and comforted him, not afraid of being hurt by the Hulk. She was more afraid of losing Bruce to the awful green monster.

"Just please stay here with me, Bruce. Don't leave me, stay here."


End file.
